|
French blamed for fights in St. Etienne
Minor scuffles caused when riot troops arrive, bars close
Posted: Tuesday June 30, 1998 11:22 AM
| |
A few minor fights broke out in St. Etienne Monday night (AP) |
ST. ETIENNE, France (AP) -- A
sudden show of force by riot troops seeking to avoid violence before a
World Cup playoff between England and Argentina
triggered insults, scuffles and wild baton charges early Tuesday in the
center of this industrial city. Police arrested several English
football fans and local toughs. There were some minor injuries, mostly
caused during crowd stampedes. In a separate incident by the
stadium, local French-Tunisian youths
insulted and attacked English fans, apparently in retaliation for
skirmishes in Marseille two weeks ago, and English fans fought back. Police
intervened, arresting about nine locals and an Englishman. Local youths
burned several cars. Trouble downtown began shortly after 11 p.m.
Monday night, when a huge outdoor screen that showed the Netherlands
-Yugoslavia
game went blank. Its last image was a message saying it would not show the
England-Argentina match Tuesday. Also at 11 p.m., bars and
restaurants shut their doors. Hundreds of police with riot helmets and
shields moved in to clear the area. Until then, hundreds of
Englishmen, scores of Argentines, and a number of French youths had been
drinking peacefully together in the balmy open air. A band played on a
makeshift stage, and stands served up beer and hotdogs. But the mood
was already tense. Only 2,000 tickets had been made available in England
for perhaps 30,000 people who are coming for the game. Scalper prices
approach $800 each. Some English fans yelled at the police and began
singing what has become their World Cup trademark in the face of police and
local opposition: "No surrender, no surrender to the IRA" -- a reference to
troubles in Northern Ireland. Within minutes, there were scuffles in the
streets. Police officials had no immediate comment, but all sides --
including British police hooligan spotters -- faulted the French police.
"Why did they do that?" asked Ben Murphy, 22, an English engineering
student from Lincoln, as he watched columns of nervous police in riot gear,
backed by burly plainclothes officers, tighten cordons around the brightly
lit City Hall square. "This was ridiculous, just looking for
trouble," said Mariano Recalde, 26, a lawyer who flew from Buenos Aires to
watch Argentina play. "We're just trying to get to our hotel, but we're
blocked in on all sides. The cops panic easily here, don't they?"
Farid Belaid, 22, a French-Algerian printer from a working-class suburb of
Saint-Etienne, blamed the police for overreacting against young Arabs and
English fans who, he said, they assumed were all troublemakers. As
police charged, some of the English threatened television cameramen,
photographers and reporters, blaming them for the trouble. An
Englishman with a shaved head and earrings threw beer on one French
photographer. Among obscenities, he shouted: "It's because of you they call
us hooligans." Shortly after, another English fan told the same
photographer: "Tke your cameras and leave. You're not welcome here."
Two British policemen in football-fan dress, who spoke only on the
condition of anonymity, said that French police might have avoided trouble
by quietly isolating potential troublemakers ahead of time, while keeping
their main force out of sight. He confirmed that Scotland Yard
had lent experts to spot fans likely to incite trouble. But, he added with
a laugh, "Who's to say the French will listen?" The British agreed
that a match between England and Argentina, with their 32-year-old football
grudge and the Falklands War of 1982, had serious potential for violence.
Local authorities are allowing beer and alcohol to be sold up until
11 p.m. Tuesday, which is just as the match ends. Then bars close, and
police hope for the best. Nigel Bobroff, a young company director
from London, is taking no chances. He left his wife and 4-month-old
daughter in Lyon, 36 miles away, while he sees the game. With a
laugh, he explained why: "England has the best football fans in the world,
but the trouble is that it also has the worst."
| 
